The Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover has been spied undergoing testing near the Nurburgring.

Despite being covered from head to toe in a body wrap, which serves as both camouflage and advertising, we can see the production I-Pace closely resembles the concept car, which only debuted at the end of 2016.

Both vehicles share the same 'coupe SUV' profile ending with a squared-off rear section. Key changes in the transition to production include fully framed side and the addition of flip-out door handles. Expect the interior to be toned from concept car's.

Production of the I-Pace has been contracted out to Magna Steyr, the Austrian automaker that's often handed the task of producing low volume models or overflow production.

Last week, Karl-Friedrich Stracke, Magna Steyr’s head of vehicle technology and engineering, told Automotive News it had already begun production of the I-Pace, with the car set to be unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in September.

The two companies have been working together closely since the model's inception, and the I-Pace will ride on its own unique platform with a bonded, welded and riveted aluminium body.

Specifics about the I-Pace's drivetrain have yet to be revealed, but the concept car had a total of 294kW power and 700Nm of torque at its disposal via an electric motor on each axle.

With a 90kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the concept reportedly had a range of over 500 kilometres, and a 0-100km/h time of under four seconds.

The new I-Pace will be inevitably compared with the Tesla Model X, although the latter features an extra row of seats. In time it will also do battle with the Mercedes-Benz EQC crossover, which is due on the market around 2019.

Australia

James Scrimshaw, Jaguar Land Rover Australia's manager for product public affairs, has confirmed to CarAdvice the I-Pace will go on sale locally from the second quarter of 2018.